Like most states across the country, budgetary
concerns have created unrest and uncertainty in
New Jersey. Cuts and reforms by Governor Chris
Christie, particularly in the area of education,
have not only stoked the ire of most New Jersey
Democrats and other non-conservatives, but
have also been deemed unconstitutional.
Governor Christie has proposed a 7 to 11
percent cut in the state’s General Assistance
Program, while simultaneously vetoing 2010
legislation that would have temporarily raised
taxes on those in the top income brackets. Overall,
Christie cut $820 million in State Aid last year
and $1 billion from school funding. As a result,
the governor is now being sued by the Education
Law Center, which contends that the cuts violate
certain state funding requirements set. According
to a Superior Court Judge, the governor’s
education cuts left New Jersey schools unable to
provide “thorough and efficient” education to the
state’s 1.4 million school children. The case is
now being heard by the State Supreme Court, but
Christie may stick to his guns regardless of this
outcome. During the “Ask the Governor” radio
program on New Jersey 101.5, Christie recently
said ignoring the Supreme Court ruling was “an
option.”
The upshot of this turmoil is that the State
budget has not been finalized, and school districts
and local governments are left to wonder what
will happen to programs upon which they have
depended.

On The Horizon…

DEP Green Acres Program: As one of the State’s
most sought after grant programs, the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection’s Green
Acres Program has been a staple for sustainable
county and municipal open space and recreational
development. As all New Jersey governmental entities are aware, the landscape for FY 2011 Green
Acres funding was both highly competitive and extremely uncertain.
At Bruno Associates, Inc. we are aware of the
p. ~ The Fundbook - NJ | May 2011

possibility that State budgetary concerns may push
back, reduce, or otherwise adversely affect future
funding cycles. However, we are preparing office
staff to serve clients as if the DEP will present the
same midsummer deadline for the program as we
have seen in recent years. We advise all New Jersey municipalities to evaluate their recreational and
open space needs and develop a list of priorities,
keeping in mind that some playing fields, parks, and
open spaces may share commonalities that would
allow for a multi-facility development proposal.
These could mean much greater patronage, a higher
chance of success, and a greater likelihood of funding for years beyond the upcoming grant period.
More information on the program can be found
here: http://goo.gl/gAEBS
NJDOT Local Aid Funding Status? As we all saw
this year, instability in the budget led to major reductions in Local Aid, as well as significant delays in
the announcement of awards. As with Green Acres,
we are advising clients to prioritize their projects
and be sure that requests made via Centers of Place,
Safe Streets to Transit, Bikeways, and Transit Village are not projects that might fit the parameters
of Municipal Aid. Even though this program was
less reliable than it has been in recent memory, Local Aid remains the most likely program to receive
funding in the months ahead.
We don’t mean to suggest that the other programs
should not be options, quite the opposite, in fact. In
some cases, local governments do not even know
when they are eligible for programs like Centers of
Place or that they should consider an application for
Transit Village designation. It is important for local governments to familiarize themselves with the
various offerings from the Department of Transportation and to take advantage of one of the largest
chunks of money offered at the state level through
the competitive grant process. If we’re lucky, the
State will once again open up Local Aid sometime
early this summer, so be on the lookout. More information on the above programs can be found here:
http://goo.gl/nQUh7

www.fundbook.org

Grants consulting &
public relations services

I

n 1968, while working in the inner sanctum of government as a congressional
and gubernatorial press secretary, John R. Bruno, Sr. recognized that munici-

palities were not pursuing federal and state grant funding simply because they did
not have the resources to do so. Responding to this need, John founded Bruno Associates, Inc. to empower public entities with quality services and expertise that

www . BrunoAssociAtesinc . com

(973) 249-6225

would enable them to raise money without raising taxes.
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secured more than $500 million in grant funding, emerging as a foremost authority in grant procurement for municipalities and counties, public school districts,

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clifton, nJ 07013

educational institutions, and non-profit organizations.
Among some pretty stiff competition, Bruno Associates, Inc. continues to remain
one of the oldest, family-owned grant and public relations consulting firms in the
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and your success. Our stability and depth of experience combine to assist you to
expand and develop in the future â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fiscally and responsibly.
We are a company where experience counts.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take our word for it: See some of our satisfied NJ local government clients
Township of Belleville
Township of Brick
Borough of Paramus
City of Clifton
Mine Hill Township
Town of Harrison
Township of Irvington

City of Linden
Belleville Board of
Education
North Bergen Board of
Education
North Bergen Township
Town of Guttenberg

Town of Secaucus
Township of Brick
City of Brigantine
Bloomfield
West New York Board of
Education
Essex County Parks

www.fundbook.org

Old Bridge Municipal
Utilities Authority
Brick Housing Authority
City of Newark Municipal
Council
City of Orange Township
Borough of Riverdale

May 2011 | The Fundbook - NJ ~ p.

Agreement on Education Reform Measures?

As educators of New Jersey await notice of state
funding decisions that will likely affect thousands
of teachers and students, Governor Christie is advocating for his education reform program, “Putting
New Jersey’s Children First.” The program focuses
on teachers: their evaluations, their compensation,
their attainment of tenure, and their right to due
process.
While these issues are traditionally addressed at
the local level by community leaders and their respective boards of education, the governor has sent
to the legislature a series of bills that would establish a statewide evaluation system, fundamentally
reform the state’s tenure system, provide merit pay
to New Jersey’s best teachers, and eliminate the “last
in, first out” laws. In response, New Jersey Education Association President Barbara Keshishian stated, “Governor Christie’s proposals should get a full
public airing so they can be debated and discussed in
the context of genuine educational outcomes. We
welcome a full and open debate on these issues.

This article was contributed by Nate Burroughs
of Bruno & Associates. Bruno & Associates is very
knowledgable of the grants and funding territory
in NJ and works with local governments and nonprofits on grants-related services there.

p. ~ The Fundbook - NJ | May 2011

www.fundbook.org

Helping communities
secure the federal
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your community. With a list of features that is growing each month, the FundBook can help you…
• Stay Organized – User-friendly features help you sort through the federal funding
quagmire and locate quality grants.
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